Guilt
by McGeeklover
Summary: During epi.'Safe' Danny starts to feel guilty about the past event of the month. When he screws-up and pisses Jack off, he realizes he shouldn't be on the team anymore. When Danny goes missing, the team rushes to find him before its to late. Jack guilt
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:I do not own without a trace yadda yadda. **

**Tag to episode "Safe"**

**Guilt**

**Chapter 1**

Danny leans on the side of the cop car and sighs. This was one tough case, and he almost got killed. He tried so hard to talk the kid down and he failed. He was a total screw-up and it wasn't he first screw-up he had today. He rubbed a hand over his face, he knew Jack was obviously pissed at him and would probably kick him off the team. He breathed a shaky sigh and looked over to see the ambulance taking Ryan Wallace to the away. He suddenly saw Jack walking over to him. Great, now he was gonna get it. He looked away and waited for the fury filled explosion.

Jack came over and pushed Danny against the car.

"What are you doing?" asked Danny surprised.

"What is the matter with you! What is up with you? What, are you feeling invincible is that it?" Jack yelled

"Look, the kid opened up to me, I took an opportunity, that's it!"

"Shut up! We had a chance to talk that kid down. Now he has to live the rest of his life knowing that he pressed that button, and so do you. If you keep screwing up, your going to be doing brick time two seconds flat. Do not mess with me!" Jack angrily shoved Danny back, turned around and walked away.

Danny stared after him and sighed. Jack had a point. What was the matter with him? Maybe he didn't deserve to be on the team anymore if he was going to put others in danger. He could have killed Jack and Sam if they were any closer to him and the bomb. He took off his badge and removed his gun from the holster and placed it on the hood of the police car. Sighing sadly, he walked away from the scene and down the dark street, leaving the life he loved behind.

Jack sighed and rubbed his face with exhaustion. How could this day get any worse. Danny almost got himself and others killed, and Ryan now had to go on with his life, knowing that he tried to end it, but failed. He was pissed at Danny and he was so damn tired of how he'd been acting today. He couldn't wait for everyone to finish up so he could leave. Sam had left to go back to the office and he was just about to leave, when he realized Danny had to get back also. Since they only brought two cars, he had to be with Danny. Great, the ride back was going to be awkward for both of them.

Jack looked around for Danny, but not seeing him anywhere. He felt in his gut that something wasn't right, but he pushed it aside and he walked towards the car where Danny had been standing earlier. Suddenly, a police officer stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you Agent Malone?" he asked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was about to leave when I noticed these on the hood of my car." he handed Jack a badge and gun. "Do they belong to one of yours?"

Jack inhaled sharply as he looked at the badge. It was Danny's. "Y-yeah these belong to one of mine. He must of left them behind." he said, but didn't believe that Danny just forgot them.

The officer nodded and walked away. Jack's gut was right; something definitely wasn't right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Danny kept walking straight. He had no idea where he was going, but he was getting away from that school and away from the people he hurt. Tears ran down his face as he thought about the events that happened over the past month. The ambush, almost losing Martin, standing in front of a kid with a bomb about to commit suicide. He figured it was all his fault. He caused it to happen, and he blamed himself for everything.

The lights on the street began to turn off, and it had Danny walking in almost complete darkness. The only light came from the dim moon above. Danny looked up and sighed as he continue to cry. He covered his face with his hands and he fell to his knees.

"It's all my fault, all my fault!" he cried to nobody. "It's my fault!"

He suddenly felt wetness on his head and it startled him. He shuddered as he looked up to the sky. He noticed that the sky was darker and the moon has disappeared from view. All of a sudden it began to pour, soaking Danny to the skin.

"I deserve this," he whispered. "I DESERVE IT!" Danny yelled out to the sky.

He cried harder as he got up and stumbled a bit. The rain dropped harder and faster and it matted Danny's hair down onto his head and his clothes became his second skin. His breathing got heavy as he became a bit scared. He walked over to the sidewalk and sat down on a lone bench. Suddenly his phone rang in his pocket; surprised that he could even hear it over the loud patter of the rain, he took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller I.D. It was Jack. Seeing who it was, he threw it into the street. It would probably break from water damage, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. He took a shaky breath, and stared into nothingness. After thinking about what he was going to do next, Danny stood up and began to walk. His eyes were blurred from the rain and tears in his eyes. He wiped his face, trying to clear his vision. It worked for about five seconds before his eyes blurred again. By the time he refocused his eyes, he noticed he was in the street. Before he knew it, he saw a swerving car he didn't even hear come right at him. He felt like a deer frozen in the middle of the street, eyes wide in fear. The car suddenly hit his side and shoved him back to the sidewalk, slamming him into a nearby tree. He blacked out instantly, crumpling to a heap on the wet ground.

Jack sighed nervously as he closed his phone for the fourth time after calling Danny. Why wasn't he picking up? He could just be mad at him and ignoring his calls, so he went to the squad-room to see if Martin, Vivian, and Sam were still around. Luckily they were.

"Hey, ah, you guys, can I borrow all your phones for a second?"

"Ummm, sure, of course," they all said, wondering what was going on.

Jack tried Sam's phone first, dialing Danny number shakily.

"Hello, you've reached Danny Taylor. I'm not-" Jack" shut the phone and took Martin's next.

"Jack, what's going on?" Sam asked nervously.

Jack ignored her and frantically dialed Danny's cell again. The same voicemail rang out again. He shut the phone and dropped it onto the table.

"Jack, what happened? Is something wrong?" Vivian asked as Jack took her phone last.

He had to answer Vivian's phone, he trusted her more than Jack. But he was wrong; there was no answer from Danny.

"Jack tell us what's wrong. Why are you using our phones to call," Martin looked at his last call and continued, "Danny? Wouldn't he just answer a call from you?"

"D-Danny isn't exactly speaking to me right now. After I told Sam I'd see her back here, I went over to Danny and gave him a harsh talking to. He didn't seem happy about it. About five minutes later, I was about to leave, when a police officer came and gave me Danny's badge and gun. It was then that I knew something was wrong." Jack sat down and rubbed his face while the rest of the team also sat down.

"I rushed here and I've been calling Danny nonstop. I used your phones, because I thought Danny just didn't want to answer to me, but I was wrong. He's not answering his phone at all from anybody; something isn't right."

The team paled and looked fearfully at each other, then getting up and working hastily on finding Danny. They never thought that they would have to find one of their own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Danny woke up to excruciating pain. The rain was lighter now and the moon was out again. Where was he? What happened that made him feel sick to his stomach? He squinted and looked around to find his location. He saw a bench that looked familiar and an object in the street. Slowly trying to get get up, he groaned in pain as he fell back. He tried to take a deep breath, but it hurt to much. Why did it hurt to breathe? He got up, leaning on the tree for support, and made his way towards the bench. Where was he?

He was beginning to panic and he wasn't thinking clearly. Forgetting that it hurt to breathe, Danny took a deep breath to still the rising panic and to clear his head, resulting a stab of pain and a spasm of coughing. He stopped walking and he leaned forward, his hands on his knees, trying to calm his breathing. He finally gained control of it even though it still hurt, and he continued towards the object in the road. Finally reaching it, he dropped to his knees and picked it up. It was a phone. Whose phone? It was his phone, how did it get out here? He flipped it open and tried to turn it on. The screen was cracked and the keys were broken off. It was busted. He threw it back on the ground and looked around him as he got up, and went back to sit on the bench. He had to get home, he had to get back to the office. He couldn't remember what happened. Why couldn't he remember? Shivering he tried to recollect his memories, he suddenly noticed a car coming around the corner and the headlights shone in his eyes. That's when everything came flooding back to him. Ryan Wallace, the bomb, Jack yelling at him, leaving, car crash. He gasped and began to cough; bringing his hand up to his mouth, he coughed again.

Suddenly he felt something warm contact his hand. He removed his hand and grew paler than he was before. It was blood. He was coughing up blood. He had to get help fast; who knows what he'd injured. He looked around to try and find a way home, but it was too unclear. Each way looked similar. Danny began to break down in tears. He'd never get back home. He decided to pick a way to go; he'd end up somewhere in the city right? He began to walk into what he realized was a park. He'd get home at some point.

Missing 3.5 hours

Jack never thought he'd have to find one of his own. He took an enlarged photo of Danny and stuck it on the whiteboard. He can't believe he had to do that. He sighed as he set up the beginning of the time-line from when he last saw Danny at the crime scene. Martin and Sam went to go check out Danny's last calls, while Vivian kept trying Danny's home and cell phone, hoping that he would pick up. So far, nothing. Ten minutes later, Martin and Sam came walking into the squad-room with the phone records.

"Jack, Danny's last call was from you, but he never picked it up. That means his phone was on when you called him. Something must of happened to him or his phone for him no to answer." Sam said.

Jack sighed, this wasn't going anywhere. What if they never found him? He would have to live the rest of his life knowing that they last words he said to Danny were, "Don't mess with me." He felt completely guilty about that now.

"Can you get the location off that call?" he asked wearily.

Sam nodded and turned back to go to the tech room.

He knew he was going in circles, he just couldn't stop walking; his legs wouldn't let him rest. Danny was so tired, hungry, freezing and, most of all, in pain. How long has it been since he left the crime scene? He just wanted to rest.

His legs finally gave up and he collapsed in between two giant bushes. At least it would protect him from the rain. He knew he shouldn't sleep, but his eyes were heavy and he couldn't keep them open any longer. He decided that he would rest for only a second, then he would start walking again. Slowly closing his eyes, he drifted off into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Missing 5 hours

"Jack, we got a location!" Sam said excitedly. "The signal came from only two blocks south of the school. He must of walked away; the cell location came from the Bronx Park."

Finally, Jack had hope; he was going to find Danny. The team rushed to the cars and sped towards the park. It took them only ten minutes to get there, when they finally came to a screeching halt at their location. Eagerly jumping out of the car, Jack looked around for his missing agent.

"Danny! Danny are you here?" Jack yelled. It was almost dawn and he was hoping to see Danny somewhere.

He suddenly spotted a familiar object in the middle of the road. Walking up to it, he squatted and sighed as realization hit him. It was the battered remains of Danny's cell. Looking up, he scanned the area. Nothing. He had to be around somewhere.

"Should we get more agents out here to search the park?" Viv asked.

Jack nodded and Vivian took out her cell to call for a search party.

Ten minutes later, there were agents swarming the Bronx Park, but Jack and his team were the ones who kept the sharpest eye. Danny had to be around here somewhere; he just hoped he wasn't injured to badly. Suddenly after three hours of searching, Jack spotted something out of the ordinary between some bushes. His heart raced once he realized what it was. It was a leg; a human leg. Rushing over, he fell to his knees and moved some of the brush away. Sure enough, it was Danny. He finally found him.

"I GOT HIM! Call an ambulance!" Jack yelled excitedly. Viv, Sam, and Martian rushed over to where Jack was while another agent called for the EMT's.

Jack sobbed as he a Martian gently dragged him out of the bushes. They all just hoped he was still alive. Putting two fingers to Danny's ice cold neck, he felt a very weak, but steady pulse. Danny was still alive. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief they never knew they were holding.

"Danny! Danny, wake up, you're gonna be okay." Jack reassured. He gently tapped Danny's pale, cold face.

"Danny, please wake up," Sam pleaded.

But before anything could happen, they heard the piercing sound of sirens getting closer. Seconds later, EMT's rushed over and began to help Danny. The team stepped back and let them do their job. They watched as they cut Danny's wet clothes off and put an oxygen mask on his face. Jack caught a glimpse of Danny's injuries. There were dark purple and blue bruises on his chest and near his lower ribs. His arm was black and blue and there was a huge gash on the the back of his head. In five minutes flat, they had Danny covered in woolen blankets and had him wheeling out of the park on a gurney into the ambulance.

"Can I come with him?" asked Jack shakily? The EMT nodded and Jack told the rest of his team that he'd meet him at St. Louis' hospital; and with that the ambulance rushed away to the hospital.

Jack looked at Danny with guilt. It was his fault he ended up this way. Now that Jack had a closer look at Danny, he could see that he was covered in dark blue bruises; he had dark shadows under his eyes and his face was paler than the sheets covering him, along with small cuts that covered his cheeks. Jack blamed himself; if he wasn't so hard on Danny, if he actually sat down and talked to him to ask what was wrong, maybe Danny wouldn't be in this mess.

Suddenly, Danny's heart rate increased and his eyes popped open; wide in fear. Jack gasped as he saw this. He could see the panic and terror in Danny's eyes, so he tried to calm him down.

"Danny, you're okay. It's okay, you're in an ambulance. We found you, Danny, you're gonna be alright!" Jack yelled.

Danny looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, then looked away to scan his surroundings, shivering uncontrollably. Sure enough he was in an ambulance. Why was he in an ambulance? More tears escaped and tried to make sense of what happened.

Jack saw the fear on Danny's face and took his cold hand in his, "It's okay, Danny, you're going to be okay."

Just as Danny was about to look at him again, one of the EMT's inserted a sedative into Danny's I.V. His eyes slowly shut and he went limp. Jack wiped the tears on his face that began to fall as he squeezed Danny's hand. He had to live, he had to make it through this so he could apologize for what he'd said to him earlier. He just wished the ambulance would go faster.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

They couldn't believe Danny got hurt, just as he recovered from the ambush. Martin was sitting in the passenger seat as Vivian was driving and Sam was in the back. They were all lost in their own thoughts as they silently drove to the hospital.

**Sam's POV**

_ Why did it have to be Danny? Hadn't he already been through enough? Even though he wasn't the one who was shot and almost died in the ambush six weeks ago, he almost got himself killed earlier. He should have waited for back-up. What was wrong with him? Didn't he know that people were here for him? Now he was on his way to the hospital with god knows how many serious injuries. She saw him before he was put on the gurney. He looked almost dead, with his pale complexion and bruised body. He looked so sick and cold; she never thought she'd see someone so brave and strong look like that. _Sam silently cried for her friend as she thought about what was going to happen to him.

**Martin's POV**

_Oh, Danny. What have you gotten yourself into? He wished that ambush never happened. He wish he'd just gotten a bit more impatient and decided to drive around the van and everything would've been fine. Now because of the ambush, he got shot, Danny felt guilty and started acting up, resulting to him almost getting himself killed, which caused Jack to yell at him, which made Danny possibly resign. All because of that damn ambush! He wanted to be with Danny, tell him that he was okay and that nothing was his fault._ Martin looked out the window so no one could see the tear that escaped his eye.

**Vivian's POV**

_ Danny was like another son to her. Her heart broke once she heard he was missing and shattered when they found him in a terrible state. He was too pale and cold to be alive, but Jack had found a pulse and he was on his way to the hospital. Just when things were looking up, they all went to hell again. She and Martin were doing good, recovering from their sick leave and everything was going back to normal. She did notice that Danny seemed a bit quiet when Martin returned. She saw guilt in his eyes. Maybe she could of talked to him, to see what was up. No, what was she thinking? She should of talked to him. He always opened up to her, like when he called her to talk about his brother when he went missing. She felt guilty now that she thinks about it more. When Jack called to tell what happened at the school, she decided that when Danny got back, she would speak to him. But, that never happened, because he never returned. _Vivian sighed silently as she pretended to rub her face in exhaustion, when she was really just wiping the tears that began to fall.

They finally arrived at the hospital, five minutes after the ambulance arrived. Jumping out of the car, the team rushed into the hospital, just in time to see Danny being wheeled away to surgery. They saw Jack let go of Danny's limp hand and stare after him. Sam walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder

"Jack, are you okay?" Sam whispered.

Jack shook his head and turned around, walking to the waiting room area and sat down. Sam sighed and did the same, as did Martin and Vivian. They waited hours to hear any news on Danny, jumped up every time the double doors from the emergency unit opened. About twenty minutes later, the doors opened again, revealing a doctor with blood covered scrubs. This time the team hoped that it wasn't Danny's doctor, seeing that the blood had to have come from him. But their hearts sank when he said Danny's name.

"Danny Taylor's family?" he asked.

The team stood up and approached the doctor.

"Danny's parents are dead and his brother is in jail; we are his family," Jack stated. "Is Danny okay, Dr.-?"

"Bentley. Dr. Bentley. Danny suffered minor hypothermia, and is being given warm intravenous fluids. He also had five broken ribs, one severing his spleen and another puncturing his left lung. The other broken ribs caused a pulmonary contusion. He also obtained a broken left arm, but we set that. We have him on a ventilator, his condition is critical; it's touch and go at this point. We have him in ICU now."

The team was breathless as they got the news. Martin was the first to break the silence.

"C-can we go see him?" he asked shakily.

"Of course, right this way." Dr. Bentley lead them through the ICU doors and down the hall. They stopped at a room in front of the nurse's desk and the doctor gestured to the door. The team turned around and looked through the window and saw who they've been wanting to see for hours. But, their faces grew grim when they saw the appearance of their friend.

Danny was deathly pale, which made the dark circles under his eyes livid. There was a cast on his left arm, and bandages hugging his chest. The worst thing that there was, though, was the tube that was down his throat, connecting to more machines. Sam couldn't hold the tears in any longer. She let them escape, as Jack took her in his arms and hugged her.

"He going to be okay, Sam, Danny won't give up easily. He'll be awake and being Mr. Casanova in no time at all." Jack whispered.

Sam let a sob filled laugh escape as she let go of Jack.

"Only one person is allowed at a time, and only for twenty minutes," said the Dr. as he turned to leave. The team let Sam go first while they left to go to the cafeteria.

_ Here it goes_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sam slowly walked into the dim lighted room and halted at the foot of the bed. She watched Danny's chest rise and fall slowly. She looked up at the monitors, listening intently to the slow beeping of Danny's heart. She sighed as she wiped the tears off her face and wet to sit down next to Danny. Taking his cold hand in hers, she kissed the tip of his fingers then enveloped his hands. She leaned in next to him and began whispering in his ear as she stroked his hair.

"Hey, Danny. It's me, Sam. How are you doing? Please get better Danny, we need you back. Everyone misses you and is very worried about you. You may think that Jack doesn't, but you should have seen how worried and frantic he was when you went missing. He cried when he found you in your condition, he thought that you were dead. So don't even think about leaving the team, okay?" Sam sniffed and chuckled sadly, "Because we need a stubborn Casanova on our team, and you are the one and only."

Sam used the rest of her time watching Danny breathe, more like the ventilator breathe for him, but he was still alive. She laid her head beside his and continued to stroke his hair.

"Please get better, Danny," she whispered. When her time was up, she kissed his cheek and walked out the door. She looked back once to make sure he was still breathing, and smiled when he was. She closed the doors and walked to the cafeteria to find the rest of the Martin; it was his turn next.

Martin walked down the hall to Danny's room. He had no idea what he was going to say. He never had to do anything like this before. Finally, reaching the doors to Danny's room, he heaved a sigh, wincing slightly from the pain in his side. Even though he was shot a month ago, it still hurt. Walking into Danny's room, he strolled to the empty seat by his head. For about ten minutes, all Martin did was stare at Danny and think. Finally, he thought of what to say.

"Hey, buddy, how's it going? Listen, I heard that you felt guilty to what happened to me. Please don't be. Nothing was your fault, so don't blame yourself. I'm the one who should feel guilty; maybe if I drove around the van, none of this would never happened." He took Danny's hand and he looked at Danny. He looked sick and in so much pain. Tears threatened to escape, so he tried to finish up quickly.

"Please get better, Danny, and don't you think about quitting." Martin squeezed Danny's hand and stood up. He left the room and headed back to where the team was. He approached Jack and said,"Listen, uh, I'm gonna head home, get refreshed. Let me know if anything changes with Danny's condition." Jack nodded and watched as Martin left. Then he saw Vivian get up to go have her turn with Danny.

Vivian walked down the hall slowly, to have more time to gather her thoughts. She couldn't stop second guessing herself; that she should have talked to Danny before the incident with Ryan Wallace. Finally reaching Danny's room doors, she stepped inside quietly. The only sounds were the the beeping of the heart monitors and clicking of the ventilator breathing for Danny.

"Oh, Danny," Vivian sighed as she sat down in the worn-out chair and took his hand. She stroked it as she watched him breathe.

"Danny, sweetie, you need to get better so I can tell you how sorry I am. I should have talked to you about what happened in the ambush. I could see that you felt guilty about what happened to Martin, and you were letting it get in the way of your focus and safety. You know you can always come to me when-" but she was cut short when Danny's eyes slowly opened and his heart rate became faster.

"Danny? Danny can you hear me?" she yelled.

**Danny's POV**

_He could hear voices, but he couldn't tell who they belonged to. The first voice he heard was soft and gentle. He could feel someone stroking his head and holding his hand. Sam. It had to be. Five minutes later the stroking stopped and he felt Sam kiss him on the cheek. Where was she going? Please stay with me, don't leave me alone._

_ Then he heard another voice; it was deeper and it was either Jack or Martin. Then the person started talking about the ambush and getting shot. It was Martin. Why would he come to see him at the hospital, when he never visited him? He didn't deserve pity. Martin squeezed his hand and left. He was alone once again. Suddenly he heard a voice that was very familiar. Viv! Oh, god, Vivian, please get me out of here. I don't deserve to be taken care of... she's blaming herself for not coming to talk to me. Viv, it's not your fault; everything is my fault, don't blame yourself. He had to wake up. He could stand the darkness any longer. He tried to open his eyes, but they were so heavy. Why am I so weak, come on Danny! He tried again and he could finally see light, but feeling started returning. Pain, so much pain in his chest. He couldn't breathe, why couldn't he breathe? There was something in his throat that was stopping him from breathing. Vivian, please help me!_

Vivian was horrified at what she was seeing. Danny was convulsing and he was gagging as he struggled to breathe. His eyes were, now, open in panic. Tears were flowing out onto his pale face.

"Danny, Danny! Calm down, you're in a hospital! We found you, you're okay!" Vivian said as she tried to calm him down. She saw Danny's hand go for the tube, attempting to take it out. She grabbed his wrist and laid his arm back onto the bed.

"Danny, that's helping you breath. The doctor will be in here soon to take it out. Just please calm down!" Danny calmed a bit, but he kept convulsing. Vivian wished the doctor would hurry up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ten seconds later, the doctor and nurses came rushing in, pushing Vivian out of the room. She hoped Danny would be able to go through this without someone he knew with him. After waiting ten minutes, she saw the doctors removing the tube, and Danny coughing uncontrollably. She saw a nurse insert a sedative into Danny's I.V. Danny stopped coughing and calmed down. In seconds he was back in a deep sleep. Vivian sighed as she went to go see Jack and Sam. When she got to the cafeteria, she just saw Jack. Sam must of gone home. Jack noticed her and her grim face, so he jumped up and approached her.

"Viv, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked eagerly.

"Danny woke up, but he was fighting the ventilator. He's breathing on his own now, but they sedated him again. The doctor didn't want anyone visiting him for the rest of the night."

"Not if I have something to do about it," said Jack as he began to walk back towards Danny's room. He, then, stopped and turned to Viv. "Why don't you go home and freshen up; I'll see you tomorrow." Vivian nodded and waved goodbye.

Jack continued to Danny's room and was about to go in when he was stopped by Dr. Bentley.

"Excuse me, Agent Malone, but Danny isn't allowed to have visitors until tomorr-"

"Well you are gonna have to make an exception for me. He has no one with him, and if he wakes up in the middle of the night and there is no one there with him but complete darkness, he's gonna go crazy. I can calm him down and he'll be resting like nothing happened." Jack panted with fury.

The doctor hesitated, but then decided that the agent was right. He sighed and let Jack by. "Don't stress him out,"he said lastly.

Jack nodded as he waved him off. He closed the door and just stood there, watching Danny sleep. He thought Danny was sleeping peacefully, but when he got closer and sat down, he saw that Danny's face was etched with fear and pain. He could tell that Danny was being plagued by nightmares. He sighed and took Danny's hand in his.

"Get better, Danny, please." he whispered.

He didn't notice that he'd fallen asleep until he woke up. He looked around at his surroundings and realized he was still in the hospital. He suddenly realized what had woken him up. He heard mumbling coming the bed in front of him. It was Danny in his nightmares; he was talking in his sleep.

"...The kid opened up to me..." "...took an opportunity..." "don't deserve to be on the team."

Jack's heart broke seeing this. Danny was reliving those horrible moments before and during the time he went missing.

"It's all my fault, all my fault, It's my fault!" "I deserve..." "...can't remember." Danny mumbled.

Then Jack heard something he'd thought he'd never hear. "I'm sorry, Martin, it's my fault"

"...my fault you were shot" "...shouldn't of distracted you..." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Tears escaped Jack's eyes as he heard what Danny was saying. He was reliving the ambush. Jack put a hand on Danny's forehead and tried to calm him down.

"Shh, Danny, you're okay. Just go to sleep, you're not alone; I'm right here."

It seemed to work, because Danny's breathing slowed, and the mumbling stopped. His face relaxed Jack knew he was finally sleeping peacefully. Jack leaned back on the chair and sighed. He felt guilty and he felt like he'd never get to sleep.

"I'm sorry, Danny," he said quietly. Finally, his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep to the repetitious beeping of the monitors.

The next day, Jack woke up with a start. He already regretted sleeping in a uncomfortable plastic chair. His neck hurt like hell, along with his back. He looked over at Danny, and saw no change since last night. He debated on whether to go get something to eat for breakfast, and decided on just getting a quick coffee so he wouldn't take too much time leaving Danny alone.

Five minutes later, he got back, sipping a hot black coffee, when he saw that Danny was waking up. He gasped as he ran to Danny's side, placing the coffee on the nightstand.

"D-Danny! Danny, its me, Jack. Can you open your eyes?" Jack said frantically.

"J-Jack?" Danny croaked. He couldn't remember what happened, but when he saw Jack, everything came flooding back to him. He begins to cry as his breathing started to become erratic.

"Oh, god, Jack! I-I'm sorry, I sc-screwed up...b-big time! It's-It's my fault; everything is my fault! I'm s-so sorry, Jack! I-I understand fully if you want to kick me off the team! I could of got you guys killed! I'm s-sorry!" Danny rambled in a scratchy voice, since his throat was sore from the tube.

Jack was astounded at what he was hearing. Danny blamed himself for all the things that had happened the past month. Jack tried to calm Danny down; he was going to hurt himself if he didn't.

"Danny, Danny! Take a deep breath, calm down. You are going to injure yourself even more. Take deep breaths" Jack said as he rubbed Danny's back. Danny tried to calm down, taking deep breaths, but that only made it worse. He winced and his arm embraced his side; he started coughing uncontrollably and it hurt for him to breath like he was.

A couple nurses ran in and removed Jack from the room. Jack wiped his tear-stained face and watched as the nurses sedated a hysterical Danny. He watched as Danny's heart rate slow, saw Danny's eyes open wide in fear, then his eyes closed slowly once again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Jack had waited for two hours before he was allowed back into Danny's room. Danny seemed calmer and more relaxed. He sat down in the familiar chair he sat in the night before and watched Danny suffer a nightmare filled sleep, once again. Jack really had to talk to Danny about some serious things, but it wasn't going to happen until Danny woke up. Jack noticed that beads of sweat were covering his forehead, so he took a napkin and wiped Danny's forehead and sighed. Suddenly Danny's eyes popped open and he gasped like he'd been holding his breath. His fear-ridden eyes darted around the room until they settled on Jack.

"Jack," he began a bit more calmer than the last time, "I'm sorry for going ahead and talking to Ryan; I should have waited for back-up. I could of killed you guys and many others. I completely understand if you want to kick me off the team." he laid his head back down and turned his head away from Jack.

Jack sighed and began to talk to Danny. "Danny, look at me. Look at me."

Danny turned his head and looked up at Jack.

"I'm not kicking you off the team. Stop blaming yourself. Get that through your thick head! Nothing is your fault. You may have made a bad call, but I can't say I wouldn't of done the same thing. And...I apologize for being so rough with you that day. I was just angry and scared. You could of gotten yourself killed. I almost lost Martin, I couldn't afford to lose you, too."

Danny was speechless for about a minute before he replied. He nodded and said, "Okay. Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled and said, " You're welcome. Just think of being here as your punishment and your sick-leave a vacation."

Danny smiled and chuckled, "Well, I don't see this as much of a punishment when there are hot nurses all wanting to take care of me."

Jack gently punched Danny's shoulder and they laughed. After they talked for a while, Danny's eyes were getting heavy, so he leaned back onto his pillows.

"Thanks, again, Jack," he whispered.

"Anytime; and if you ever want to talk to someone, the team and I are always here for you."

Danny smiled sleepily and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Jack smiled as he looked at his Casanova agent. The one and only; he patted Danny's hand a breathed a sigh of relief. He talked to Danny, set him straight and had a good laugh. It felt like a 200 lb. Weight was lifted off his chest. Things were finally starting to look up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Two weeks later, after numerous visits from the team, Danny was able to be discharged and return home on sick-leave. Martin and Sam picked him up and gave him a ride home. As soon as he got home, Danny headed straight for his bed. As much as he slept at the hospital, he was still very tired. Once his face hit the pillow, he instantly fell asleep. Sam smiled when she saw Danny fast asleep, and she went over to kiss him on the forehead before leaving.

"Bye Martin," she said as she headed out the door.

"Bye," he smiled.

Martin walked into Danny's room and brought up a chair. He grabbed the remote and began to watch T.V. When Danny woke up, they were going to have to talk, so he gathered his thoughts. Hours later, he heard Danny waking up. He watched as Danny yawned and opened his eyes.

"Martin?" he groaned.

"Hey, man, how are you feeling?"

"Better... feeling better. My ribs still hurt, but the doc said it would be at least a month before they healed completely. " Martin smiled sadly and nodded.

"Listen, we have to talk," Martin sighed. Danny looked down at his hands, avoiding Martin's eyes. "Jack told me what's been going on the past few weeks, and part of it was about how you felt after the ambush. You felt responsible and began risking your life. Look, Jack, probably already told you this, but don't blame yourself. Nothing is your fault, okay? We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and had the lucky suspect."

Danny smiled and nodded, "Okay, Martin, thanks."

"No problem. Oh and I hope your not thinking of quitting."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Danny smiled. "Besides, I wasn't in my right mind," he said tapping his head. They both laughed, and talked for a while until Danny drifted off to sleep again.

A week later, Danny stepped in front of the FBI building. He breathed in fresh air and smiled. It was finally good to be back. He knew he'd be doing desk duty for a while thanks to his broken arm, but he didn't care, he was just glad to be back. He got in the elevator and pressed the button for the ninth level. He took a deep breath; he was ready for this. They elevator dinged and the doors opened; Danny stepped out and began to walk to the squad-room. On the way there, people patted him on the shoulder, welcoming him back.

He finally reached his desk and put his things down. He turned and saw the team sitting at the conference table. He smiled as he walked over to them; Vivian was the first to notice him.

"Danny, Welcome back! How are you doing? You look good!" she exclaimed as she stood up and gave Danny a hug.

"Thanks, Viv. I'm doing good, besides the bruised chest and broken arm," he laughed.

Sam came up to him next and gave him a big hug, but careful not to hurt him.

"Danny! Good to see you back. You're looking much better."

"Thanks Sam," Danny smiled.

Martin came up to him next. "Good to see you back, Danny," he said as he gave Danny a brotherhood hug. Lastly, Jack came up to him. They look at each other for a second, then both smiled.

"Good to have you back, Danny," Jack said as he handed Danny I.D, gun, and badge.

"Thanks, Jack. It's good to be back even if it means desk duty." The team laughed and they all began their new case. Jack began to inform them on their missing person.

"Okay, our missing person is Colin Darrell. He was last seen..."

Danny smiled as he listened to their case. It felt good to be back to normal. It was as if the ambush never happened. It was great to be home.

Like it, love it? Pleaze Review! :) Uggh this took me 2 dayz to write and staying up til 3am to work on it. THANKS :)))


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